Nightmares
by JoeBoBean
Summary: Since being discharged from the Dispensary Soul has been having nightmares that Maka thinks less of him for getting injured, but even while he can't sleep he begins to understand the lines of their muddy relationship better. Being protected and being the protector can get confusing sometimes.


_AN:_ _This was written not long after I watched the start of the anime when it was being fansubbed waiting week in and week out for the next ones while reading the chapters each week that were miles in front of the anime storyline. I loved the fear that the weapons seemed to share about not protecting their weapon technicians; while they were worried about not having saved their weapons from harm, because at the end of the day they are all human. I obviously don't won Soul Eater, but I love all the fan service that Ōkubo-sensei provides. Please enjoy. xx_

_Edit: After a review that said that parts were confusing I have added the breaks back in. Which in all honesty I didn't know had been taken out when I copy & pasted it from Word. I have also put the flashback scene in italics so it stands out as not the main storyline. I am leaving the nightmares in plain text, because the whole point is that the characters don't realised they are dreaming until they wake up so I don't think the reader should either. I'm sorry if that makes parts of the story confusing. _

* * *

"Maka?" Soul asked looking at the back of his partner, "Where are you going?" At this question Maka turned to him and smiled, but the smile wasn't at all nice.

"Where do you think I'm going?" she asked her green eyes blank, "To find a better weapon of course," she finished plainly.

"MAKA!" Soul screamed and woke himself up. The sun was streaming in through his window and as always it was perfect and idyllic. It was enough to make you think that nothing ever went wrong in Death City. After shaking himself slightly Soul sat up in bed and felt the cold sweat on his skin making him shiver not that he would ever admit that to anyone. He looked at his clock that was precariously placed on a stack of books on his bed side table and was just about to relax before he noticed his alarm was just about to ring. He flipped his covers back as the instrument for torture rang out across his room. He slammed his fist down on it as he sighed and the noise stopped.

"So much for a cool morning," he muttered getting out of bed and pulling on his clothes. As he walked to his bedroom door he could hear Maka in the kitchen making breakfast and all the tension that the night terror had threaded through his body vanished and he relaxed fully. He didn't know why, but he had been having the exact same dream every night and it was starting to scare him; again not that he would admit it to anyone else not even Doctor Medusa when he had his checkups.

In the dream he and Maka were sat in the park and everything seemed fine, the sun was shining and as usual looking totally demented, the grass was green and the birds of Death City were all chirping and then suddenly Maka would stand up and leave him. When she began to walk away the aching longing in his gut that the action started was hard to control.

* * *

He opened his door silently and watched Maka for a few minutes from his doorway. Seeing her in her apron always made his heart beat faster and he counted down the seconds until she turned around and smiled at him making his heart stop beating altogether. Right on cue as if she knew he was counting she turned around and her smile shed rainbows in their small kitchen.

"Morning Soul," she sang still smiling at him; he tried hard to catch his breath and then managed to respond in an almost breathy growl,

"Morning Maka… is breakfast done?" he asked and Maka nodded pointing to the bench closest to her.

"Yours is the biggest... obviously," Soul couldn't help it he smiled back at her and picked up both of the plates taking them to the table as Maka slipped out of the room for a second.

"Thanks Soul," She said "I'm just giving this to Blair-chan." she finished and Soul relaxed as he sat down glad for the explanation of her absence. Seeing her walk away from him for any reason was getting harder; everything hurt like his heart was being tugged each time. Maka came to the table a few seconds later and sat opposite him and Soul noticed that she was still smiling at him and his chest tightened instantly in response to the curling of her lips.

If this had been four years ago Soul would have laughed at such lovesick stupidity as he would have called it; if it had been four years ago he wouldn't have believed that he could have cared for Maka so; but the relationship between a weapon and technician was a little blurry and definitely complicated.

_He could still remember the day that they had met as if it was only yesterday. His parents had registered him at Shibusen as a last ditch effort to make him happy; when he had arrived at the welcome reception he'd needed to find a quiet place to hide. It was dark where he had ended up when he had wandered off, but in the corner of the room he could see a piano. He walked towards it and felt himself physically swoon because it was an 1880's Steinway he sat on the small stool and began to finger the keys gently. He had always loved playing the piano even if he hadn't the perfect technique or innate talent that his brother had always had with the violin. As he continued to play the melody became soft and low, barely audible over the noise of the party going on in the entrance hall of Shibusen. Each finger barely brushed the antique keys slowly and carefully teasing out the aged sound. As his fingers flicked over the keys he knew that playing the piano was one thing he was truly good at. As his hands and fingers began to move more slowly he felt at peace with himself and sighed._

_He couldn't deny it, the fact that his parents had enrolled him in Shibusen did make him happy and from what he had seen he thought he could easily enjoy himself; but he hoped to God that there wouldn't be too many parties; because he would always be on the run from them. Public congregations always made him think about being stuck in his brother's shadow and it always sucked. At that thought he began to play the keys a little harder as his feelings of ineptitude resurfaced a little._

_From behind him someone cleared their throat and he stopped instantly. He felt guilty he hadn't asked anyone if he was allowed to play this amazing instrument and the person behind him must want him to explain himself. It was bad manners and he knew it, but he had hoped that no one would find out. He stood up from the stool stiffly as if all the blood in his veins had turned in to ice. Before he turned around he really hoped the person who had caught him red handed would speak._

_"You're very good," a small sweet sounding voice said, "You must practice a lot." she continued Soul smiled and turned to see who had spoken to him. Behind him was a slight girl with pigtails and a long black coat, she was sort of cute; but so not his type. "Are you Soul-kun?" She asked shuffling forward slightly, her dirty blonde hair and her green eyes catching the moonlight. Soul nodded and saw the girl relax._

_"I am Soul Evans yea, who wants to know?" To this day he still felt bad for how curt he had been with her at their first meeting, but she had disturbed his peace, saying that Maka had blushed so adorably that maybe he wasn't that remorseful._

_"So… so… sorry I forgot," she stuttered as she straightened and tried to compose herself. "I'm Maka Albarn and I'm a scythe technician." she stated proudly. Soul's eyebrows rose instantly and a little uncontrollably. Since arriving at Shibusen he'd been hounded by technicians that were looking for weapons to partner with and after her being so nice to him about his performance she was just going to be another one? "It's very nice to meet you Soul…" she said holding out her white gloved hand. Soul took hers in his and he was surprised at how small and warm it was compared to his own. He shook it and smiled at her._

_"Nice to meet you too Maka and it seems that I have met my technician after all." Maka stared at Soul and his smile widened becoming a grin. "Soul and Maka, I think we'll make a cool sounding team." Maka looked at him unsure,_

_"I didn't come here to make you choose me. I just saw you leave the reception and I wondered where you were escaping to," she blurted blushing again._

_"Weapons choose their technicians right?" Maka nodded so Soul carried on, "Yours is the nicest soul wavelength I have felt all day." Maka smiled and let go of his hand. "I'd like to try something… if that's okay?" Soul asked, Maka nodded intrigued and Soul took her hand again, "Let's see if I really have it right." With that Soul transformed and left Maka a little transfixed as she held a large red and black scythe in her hands._

_"Soul?" Maka asked._

_"What Maka?" Soul said in response; Maka could tell it was the same voice she had heard before he had transformed it was just a little more metallic._

_"Should you be so light?" she asked as she spun the handle slowly in her hands, to her surprise Soul's head and shoulders emerged from the blade of the scythe and he was grinning._

_"Yes if you're my technician." he replied, Maka giggled and Soul was shocked to find that it was such a high and girly sound. She threw the scythe in the air and as it came back down he transformed back and Soul came to stand in front of her. "It seems I found her. Shame though that you have such small breasts." He pondered looking directly at Maka's chest his hands in this trouser pockets._

_"MAAAAAAKA CHOP!" Maka screamed and slammed a book in to Soul's head making him bend over in pain._

_"I guess I deserved that." Soul said smiling crookedly as he sat back down on the piano stool. He felt Maka sit down beside him as his head stopped thudding so hard._

_"Soul, can you teach me what you were just playing?" She asked meekly,_

_"Cool," was all Soul said as he began to play again with Maka watching him, "By the way you have to know that I am just like this music." he added a little while later._

_"Okay," was all she said in reply as she watched his fingers dance over the keys in the most hypnotising fashion._

_Not long after their meeting they had gone out in to Death City and found an apartment to share and became the best of friends and the closest of all of Shibusen's pairings not that Shinigami-sama would admit it to them._

Maka was sat watching him with a confused look on her face.

"What is it Soul?" she asked him as she ate another bite of her pancake. Soul put down his cutlery and looked at Maka directly.

"Nothing really…" he replied and he could tell that Maka didn't believe the white lie, but as always she didn't push it. Maka began to push her pancake around her plate nervously afraid to question Soul further; so instead she decided that she would wait for Soul to speak because she knew in time he would. Finally he sighed and carried on "I know this question… might sound odd, but will you answer it truthfully?" Maka nodded her green eyes sharp and worried. "Would you ever leave me to find another or maybe a better weapon?" Maka looked angry for a second, but her face instantly softened and she just looked hurt.

"Soul you are my scythe; I won't let anyone else have you… well except obviously Shinigami-sama in the future." She said with a smile and Soul relaxed a fraction his shoulders no longer as tense as they had been. "What brought this on? After all we've been through."

"A bad dream," Soul mumbled with a shrug. "I don't want to lose you again." Maka couldn't help it she blushed; that was always her response when Soul was that direct, but Soul thankfully didn't notice and carried on, "Twice is enough no more; you are my technician, my wielder; I don't want anyone else." As he was talking he had slowly moved around the table towards her, without looking her directly in the eye. When he finally looked at her, he was kneeling before her with his hands placed lightly on her lap. "Don't leave me Maka please." He begged his face animated with passion and longing. Maka could feel the heat burn all the more in her face, but she still didn't really know what to do.

"Soul," she murmured reaching out to him and lightly caressing his cheek, Soul began move in towards her as Blair-chan walked in to the kitchen once again only wearing her hat.

"Morning pum-pumpkin-pumpkin!" She sang as she danced around naked. Soul looked up and to his dismay he had a nose bleed and passed out on the floor next to Maka's feet.

"Blair-chan!" Maka moaned, "Could you please put some clothes on?"

"Nyaa," Blair said back, "Soul is funny," with that said she walked back to her room and Maka looked at her partner sprawled out on the floor a stupid boyish grin on his face.

"But he was about to say something important." She whispered as she leant forward and began to mop up the nosebleed with her napkin. "Soul," she said and he stirred a little.

"Maka?" he asked as his eyes flickered open. He reached out to her cupping her face with his ice cold fingers. He smiled and began to sit up, his smile angelic and full of hope. "You didn't leave me, thank goodness." Getting back on his knees he wrapped his arms around Maka's shoulders and embraced her tightly. So much for a cool morning; he thought with a smile, things couldn't really get much cooler than this.

* * *

Soul was acting funny; Maka thought. Not in the: ha ha ha sort of funny either it was in the: oh gee that is weird sort of funny; she continued. She knew that Soul was not the average person and was weird, but the way he was acting was even weird for him. Sometimes she wished she knew what was going on… he confused her so much; it made her so lost. Maka looked up to see that Professor Stein was still dissecting another seemingly near extinct creature for their class and then glanced back down to her note book and noticed that while she had been thinking she had aimlessly doodled across her previous notes and cursed under her breath.

She glanced up again to look at Soul who was sat two rows in front between Black*Star and Kid; he was perfectly happy and after him being so worried before they had arrived at Shibusen; she couldn't understand what had caused the sudden change in his demeanour and why he was avoiding her now.

She was sat next to Tsubaki and noticed that her friend kept glancing between her and Soul, but decided not to say anything that was until Maka sighed loudly and she piped up.

"Maka-chan?" She said so Maka turned toward the open and caring face of her friend. "Is there something wrong? It's just that you keep looking at Soul. Did you by any chance have a fight?" At the last question Maka shook her head vehemently and Tsubaki relaxed a little; she hated it when her friends fought.

"We didn't have a fight," Maka confirmed verbally, but Tsubaki could still see that she was worried. "Tsubaki… has Black*Star ever made you worry?" She asked and Tsubaki smiled softly looking at the back of Black*Star's head lovingly as she nodded.

"He makes me worry all the time Maka-chan." at the doe eyed look Tsubaki was wearing Maka knew she had to explain what she meant.

"Has he ever made you think that he's going to leave you… for another weapon?" Maka finished as Tsubaki went pale. When Tsubaki began to cry, Maka knew that she had asked the wrong question. "Tsubaki-chan I didn't mean that he is…" but she never got to finish because Tsubaki had already jumped out of her seat and had began to descend the stairs next to Black*Star. When she had stalked up to him she just stood and stared at him as if she couldn't trust herself enough to open her mouth. Eventually though Black*Star noticed she was there and looked up in to her haunted black eyes.

"Hey Tsubaki!" he grinned at her with his most charming and disarming smile, but when he saw Tsubaki's face it faltered slightly making him look like he was over thinking a homework problem. Tsubaki's lip trembled and then she began to cry with loud earth shattering sobs not that Professor Stein seemed to notice. "What is it Tsubaki?" Black*Star asked his voice strained in a way Maka had never heard before.

Tsubaki fell in to his lap crying harder still as she buried her face in his thigh. Black*Star patted her on the shoulder softly and then began to stroke her hair to try and calm her down. From where Maka sat she could tell that Black*Star was wary of the looks he was getting from the rest of the class. He loved to be in the spotlight; but not for a reason like this, above all else he did not make girls cry.

"What's upset you?" he asked again softly in to the shell of Tsubaki's ear and she sniffled a little before she looked up at him.

"Is it true that you've thought about replacing me… that you've th…thought about g…g…getting a n…eeee…w w…w…w…weapon?" She asked her speech broken from the sobs still shaking her frame. At the accusation Black*Star's jaw went slack.

"Replace you?!" He asked holding her face gently in his hands as he grinned again all the while shaking his head, "Never Tsubaki, I would never replace you." he wiped the tears from under her eyes with the softest strokes of his thumbs as if he had done this before many times. "I couldn't give you up. I can't be big without you." He finished looking her in the eye. Tsubaki stopped sobbing and smiled a watery smile as her arms went around Black*Star's waist.

"Thank you Black*Star." she said her voice not as broken as before as she had calmed down.

"Where did you get that idea from anyway?" he asked his jaw tightening with anger as he glared at the rest of the class and Maka shrunk back in her seat. Tsubaki rocked back on the balls of her feet and shook her head slowly before she said,

"It's nothing. It doesn't matter." as the bell rang signalling the end of the lesson; Professor Stein looked at the class and raised his eyebrows at Black*Star and Tsubaki, but said nothing as he scooted across the floor to the door before the students could get out.

Maka didn't leave she couldn't physically move out of her seat as she was still shaken from Tsubaki's apparent meltdown. Soul got to the door and turned around to see her still sitting her eyes glazed with tears and he knew he couldn't leave her alone. He sat down next to her but didn't speak he just lightly touched her arm.

"It's my fault Soul I caused all that. I was just curious…"

"But Tsubaki took it the wrong way?" he asked finishing her sentence and Maka nodded. "She will do Maka; did you know her biggest fear is that even though she and Black*Star are probably the most compatible soul wavelengths a technician and a weapon are ever likely to find, that at the end of the day she worries that he will just up and leave her… for a new stage something bigger that she can't be a part of?" Maka shook her head again, "She is a rock for Black*Star and his ego, but she isn't very stable… she lacks self-confidence where Black*Star is concerned." Soul sighed and put his hands behind his head, "Saying that; no weapon is stable really we are nothing without a technician; so we fear abandonment." He leant forward a little and smirked, "But if you get curious again, don't whatever you do ask Patty and Liz about this. It will get back to Kid and he will panic; Liz and Patty can be used by each other so technically they don't need a technician… so Kid in their relationship worries about being abandoned." He looked up at Maka and saw her brow was still furrowed in worry and he had to ask. "What's wrong Maka? What brought this all on?" Maka sighed and leant back in her seat, shoulders now slumped.

"I was wondering if your dream was common in weapons or if it was just you… It scared me that was all."

"It's just me Maka, my fear of losing you. I can't lose my dream technician." he finished his voice little more than a growled whisper as he leant in and rested his forehead against hers. "I just don't want to lose you; you mean far too much to me." Maka felt herself blush for what seemed like the millionth time that day. She went to say something more in response, but all she managed to do was bring her lips closer to Soul's own, as is testing the water she leant in further and they touched. Once they had he wouldn't let her go. He pulled her in close and covered her lips with his own; he ran his tongue against the seam of her thin lips and teased her mouth open feeling her more than willing to respond. Maka felt herself wrap her arms around his neck as she tilted her head to the side. As Soul's teeth indented her lips she shocked herself by mewing like a kitten getting their ears scratched.

At the small whimpering sound Maka made; Soul felt a shudder of desire flow through him and he pulled Maka in closer so he could feel her tiny breasts pillow against the hard muscle of his chest. Maka could feel herself get hot and when Soul placed his thumb over her pulse point she decided that there was nowhere else she would rather be. When they could no longer breathe they pulled apart and smiled sheepishly at each other.

"I never thought it would feel like that." Soul managed to say in a breathy almost husky manner and Maka smiled. Without saying anything else she leant back in wanting to feel the electric crackle that seemed to engulf her. Soul took her shoulders softly, before she could kiss away all of his coherent thought, "Maka we have class to get to…" Soul managed to say trying as hard as he could to not be distracted by the slight frame in his hands.

"Skipping one lesson won't make a difference." Maka replied plainly with mischief dancing in her eyes; that Soul had to admit was all the temptation he needed, so with her permission he leant in and kissed her again.

* * *

Now I'm not sure how to act Soul thought as he sat down at the kitchen table. Maka walked in to the kitchen and smiled at Soul briefly as she switched the kettle on before returning to her room. The pair of them had skipped the whole lesson they had after Professor Stein's and had spent it talking and kissing. Soul had managed to explain his dream and tell Maka some things that he had been trying to ignore and she had listened in the way she always had since the first time they had met. She didn't judge him she just sat quietly nodding every so often to show she was paying attention.

Now that they were home things between them felt a little strange, because in reality he had kissed his best friend and his best friend had kissed him back. The silences between them seemed to drag on and Soul found himself itching to delve his fingers in to Maka's pigtails and feel her long dirty blonde hair fall through his fingers.

He had never thought that Maka would be his type, but in truth he didn't know what his type was. He knew though that being with Maka felt right; it was so natural that is was like breathing; necessary but not noticed. He didn't know why it had taken him so long to realise as it all felt so obvious now.

Maka came out of her bedroom once more and pulled on her apron as she smiled at Soul.

"What do you want for dinner?" She asked trying to tie the bow at the back of her apron.

"I don't know…" Soul replied shrugging and he went to stand next to her. "But I know I can help out…" he finished smirking as he ran a hand through one of Maka's pigtails and relaxed instantly when she didn't flinch or move away. Instead she turned to him and smiled all the more when she saw that his lips were slightly parted as he was breathing erratically through his slanted mouth. For a second she thought about the fact that she had almost lost him and it urged her on and it made her bold. She pressed her lips against his and placed a hand on his chest right where the scar lay marring the porcelain skin beneath his white t-shirt. She could feel the raised ridges of it through the thin material and it made her shiver. Soul took her shaking hand in his own and laced their fingers together dropping their entwined hands from his chest.

"It still scares you, doesn't it?" He asked as he turned the heat up under the pan a little while later. Maka looked up from the chopping board her green eyes wide, "My scar, it still scares you doesn't it?" Maka blushed at being caught out and nodded as she reached for Soul's hand.

"I was worried for days that you wouldn't recover; so I suppose it still scares me that is was so close."

"But my job is to protect you no matter what. It's what I do. Weapons can be changed and replaced if broken, but technicians are priceless commodities." Maka had to turn away from the burning red stare.

"Isn't it a big responsibility…?" she asked looking back in to the concerned tea red eyes, "Don't you hate it?" Soul scoffed a little, but shook his head in disbelief.

"Hate it? No it's one of the only things that I'm good at and I take my job seriously." He picked up one of the onions Maka had left on the bench and began to cut it to put it in the curry. When he had finished he put them in the pan and glanced up at Maka to see her preparing the rice, her shirt sleeves rolled up to her elbows as she washed it. "Sorry it took me so long." he said to the back of her head smiling; Maka turned to him with her eyebrows raised wanting him to explain.

"What do you mean?" she asked wiping her hands on her apron.

"Sorry it took me so long to notice how I felt…" he finished with another signature Soul shrug and Maka grinned at him her green eyes electric.

"That?" she asked still smiling, "I thought the way it happened was totally cool." At that Soul couldn't help the sound of mirth that left his lips.

"Well I am one cool guy," He replied grinning and the tension he had worried about earlier was completely gone.

* * *

She heard it before she saw it happen. The sickening sound of flesh tearing as a blade is dragged through it. After the blood curdling sound there was only a deafening silence and Maka could see the damage as Soul crumpled in two and then fell to the floor at her feet, like the puppet master had cut his strings.

"SOUL!" she screamed as she knelt by his side. He was covered in blood, it was deep red and seeping in to his clothing and spilling out across the floor, but even with all that he still managed one last smile for her.

"Don't cry I was just doing my job, you're safe so nothing else matters." With that he coughed and it was a wet heart wrenching sound as blood pooled on his lips and his eyes went glassy.

"No Soul this is not what I want!" Maka found herself saying as she lay on top of Soul's still warm body. Eventually she looked up to see that the enemy was still bearing down on her; but she could do nothing to stop it. With Soul gone she could do nothing, she was paralysed by fear she had only enough energy to lift her head. "No not like this," she sobbed and then thankfully she woke up.

Maka sat up in bed and could feel her skin was clammy. She looked around her room her breathing still shallow from shock.

"I'm home, I'm safe." she said trying to calm herself down; she looked around her and even in the dark she could see all of her belongings all of her familiar things. "It was only a dream," she told herself only half believing it. "It's only a dream Soul is not dead!" With that said she jumped out of bed, went to Soul's room and pushed the door open slightly. She looked in and lying on his bed with his mouth open, snoring gently was Soul; Maka sighed with relief.

"It was only a bad dream see, stop being silly and go to bed." she whispered to herself and pulled Soul's door closed as she turned toward her bedroom once more. Maka stood for a second as if trying to decide what to do next and she could feel the adrenalin pulsing through her body and knew that if she went back to bed she would just lie there staring at the ceiling letting all the dark thoughts inside surface. So she turned toward the kitchen instead and when she took a step forward the floorboard creaked.

"Maka?" Soul asked sleepily; Maka turned to him and saw him stood in his doorway rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. "What's wrong?" he asked his voice cracking from lack of use in sleep. He opened his door further as Maka continued to watch him, she noticed that his hair was sticking up at all angles and his clothes were rumpled from where he had tossed and turned on his bed, but he was there in front of her and he was most definitely alive. That and unbelievably cute.

"Soul," she whispered gratefully as she jumped at him wrapping herself around him reaffirming that he was there and he was alive. He wrapped his arms around her just as tightly smiling softly.

"What happened?" he asked again a little worried as he unwound the elastics in her hair letting it fall down her back in a cascade.

"I had a bad dream,"

"Oh," was all he said in reply as he kissed her forehead. She let out the breath she hadn't realised she had been holding as he pulled her through his door and shut it behind them. Maka looked around Soul's dark room and found it so comforting that she fully relaxed and the adrenalin slowed its flow through her system. "Stay with me?" he asked tentatively as he got back in to his bed.

"Okay," was all she said in response as she followed him and huddled herself against his chest. "Never get hurt like that again on my watch." she finally said laying her hand over his scar.

"Yes ma'am," Soul replied with a smile as he wrapped his arms around Maka pulling her in close. Within minutes they were both peacefully asleep all their nightmares forgotten.


End file.
